Three Things Business Owners Need to Use: Social Media Marketing, Google Maps Optimization and SEO

For today’s modern business owner, it is extremely important to have their company available on the Internet through social media networking sites, navigation tools like Google maps, and general search engine results. By having a prolific Internet presence, the modern business owner, whether they are e-commerce or retail, will be able to increase consumer awareness, drive traffic to their website, and increase sales through this generated exposure. However, in order to accomplish these goals, business owners will need to employ Internet marketing techniques like social media marketing, Google Maps optimization, and search engine optimization. Here are the basics of these three topics for business owners around the world to utilize for the benefit of their company:

1. Social Media Marketing: With social media marketing, business owners will put today’s most popular Internet networking sites to their creative purposes, with the intent of building a community around their brand, increasing consumer awareness, and driving traffic to their website. In order to accomplish these goals, the business owner will need to create public profiles on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Reddit, Stumble Upon, MySpace, and Tumblr. Then, they will begin to post updates about their company, announcements about new promotions or products, and connect with others in their industry. This process can be a bid tedious, because the business owner must be careful not to alienate their potential customers by badgering them with unwanted news or spam-like contact. This must be done with some finesse, which is why many companies hire a social media specialist or Internet marketing company to perform these tasks for them.

2. Google Maps Optimization: With Google Maps Optimization, the business owner will take advantage of location based search results in Google, getting their retail location listed prominently for consumers to easily locate and contact. For instance, when a consumer performs a search in Google for ice cream parlors in Salt Lake City, Utah, the first results that will be displayed will be accompanied by a map with bright red pins that indicate the approximate locations of each of the ice cream parlors that Google has indexed. In order to be displayed in these results, a business owner will need to use Google Maps Optimization techniques to complete their Google Places profile and use strategic keywords that will allow this listing to be pulled up by interested consumers. The process of Google Maps Optimization will allow users that are performing these location based searches on their desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones, or tablets, to easily find the company’s location, call the company to ask a question, or simply get directions to visit the location directly.

3. Search Engine Optimization: Search engine optimization works like Google Maps Optimization, in that it will allow all business owners to increase traffic to their website by increasing their Google rankings for specific keywords. This means that when a consumer performs a search that is related to this company’s industry, this business owner can make certain that their website is being found more often than the websites of their competitors. However, because the Internet is an enormous place, this advertising space will be seriously coveted. This means that in order to get listed on the first page of Google’s search results for a certain keyword, the business owner will need to make sure that their website fits Google’s ranking algorithm standards. These standards require that relevant websites be updated as often as possible, have the necessary site structure, mention the targeted keywords frequently, but not frequently enough to be flagged as spam, and have a good variety of inbound links that point towards the site from other locations on the Internet today.